A pre-execution environment (PXE—or preboot execution environment) server is used to PXE boot a pre-built operating system (OS) of a processor (processor board). The PXE server is typically a separate, external system running PXE software The processor requiring reboot connects directly to the PXE server via a direct or indirect Ethernet connection. For a description of conventional PXE booting processes and protocols, see the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) Specification, version 2.1, published by Intel Corporation on Sep. 20, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference.
A storage processor may be used to control a disk array or similar non-volatile storage. An erasure process of a storage processor may involve PXE booting the storage processor by booting a pre-built operating system image to the storage processor that operates to purge the disk array of the storage processor of useful data. System reboots are sometimes caused during and after the erasure process, for example forced by the pre-built operating system image. In this case, the reboot process requires a separate PXE server, such a service laptop computer, to be connected to the storage processor during the entire erasure process and, if necessary, after the erasure process, and may require manual intervention during the reboot process.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system of PXE booting a storage processor without a constantly direct-connected external PXE server and without requiring manual intervention.